De Soto quarterback Eli Brosinski
8-PLAYER | BRACKET
(All games Friday at 7 pm unless noted; Times, dates, & locations subject to change)
#4 Palmyra-Eagle at #1 Belmont
#6 Oakfield at #2 De Soto
#4 Northwood/Solon Springs at #1 Wabeno/Laona, Saturday 1 pm
#3 Sevastopol at #2 Suring
#4 Clear Lake at #1 Gilman
#6 Athens at #2 Hurley
#5 Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas at #1 Valley Christian
#3 Owen-Withee at #2 Assumption, Saturday 1 pm at Wisconsin Rapids HS
To see the Level 1 Bracket Breakdown, click here.
Level 1 Surprise
Oakfield had struggled early in the year and against some of the better teams on their schedule, and it led to the Oaks receiving a six-seed. Going on the road against third-seeded North Crawford, Oakfield was clearly the better squad, winning 34-24 with more than 400 yards of offense. Junior quarterback Xavier Mielke posted 331 yards of offense and accounted for three scores.
Best Rematch
Owen-Withee is a three-seed and Assumption a two-seed, but both have been in the top ten overall of the Bound Power Index all season, and currently sit third (Assumption) and sixth (Owen-Withee). These are two of the top teams in 8-player, and this should be an outstanding game. Assumption won 32-14 over Owen-Withee in mid-September, but the Royals struggled to get past third-seeded Thorp in Level 1, team they beat by 47 earlier in the year.
#1 seed with toughest match-up
By the numbers, Belmont has the toughest matchup in Level 2, as they’ll take on an 8-1 Palmyra-Eagle team that has made a successful debut in 8-player football. The Panthers rely a lot on quarterback Jake Rohda, who lead them in passing and rushing, accounting for 32 touchdowns. The Palmyra-Eagle schedule hasn’t been especially difficult, however.
Level 2 Most Important Player
Wabeno/Laona’s Cooper Albrecht is one of the most dynamic players in 8-player football and a returning WFCA All-State selection. However, in the Rebel's’ only loss this season against Hurley, he struggled, with three interceptions as a passer and just 169 yards of offense, about half of his normal output. He’ll need to play well for the Rebels to hold off fourth-seeded Northwood/Solon Springs on Saturday.
My Picks
(14-2 last week; 87.5% in 8-Player overall)
Belmont over Palmyra-Eagle
Oakfield over De Soto
Wabeno/Laona over Northwood/Solon Springs
Suring over Sevastopol
Gilman over Clear Lake
Athens over Hurley
Valley Christian over Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas
Assumption over Owen-Withee
Travis Wilson serves as the Bound Wisconsin Manager. Wilson was selected as part of the Sports 40 Under 40 list by Coach & AD Magazine and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for 2019. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) named Travis the 2015 recipient of the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the WFCA Executive Board and is a member of the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. A graduate of Richland Center High School and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Travis was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, baseball, basketball), inducted to the Richland Center High School Hall of Fame in 2023, and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisBound or reach him at [email protected].
